


don't hold your breath (how can you breathe?)

by paopuleaf



Category: Blaseball (Video Game)
Genre: 12x100, Gen, Ghosts, Incinerations, possession in a very cool and friend way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29483637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paopuleaf/pseuds/paopuleaf
Summary: a story about koch, and violet and scorpler, told over the course of one incineration to the siesta.
Relationships: Jesús Koch & Tyler Violet & Mclaughlin Scorpler
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	don't hold your breath (how can you breathe?)

**Author's Note:**

> the 12x100 format is by [lewis atillo](https://pigeonize.medium.com/), brought to blaseball by crookedsaint of crookedsaint fame!

tyler violet dies. it's a quick burn, and koch can't see for hours afterwards, light too bright against their eyes and the afterimages of her face, twisted in a smile, burned into their mind. play must continue, so they keep going, keep batting. their cloak is heavy around their shoulders and they keep batting. the grass under their feet is slick with wet from melted snow and they keep batting.

the rest of the team mourns. koch mourns with/with/without them. somebody says sorry. they pull their hat down. they're still blinded. they recognize the voice, and say nothing.

#

koch can see ghosts.

they know this because violet apologizes to them after she's incinerated, slips under their skin and leads them home when they can't do it themself. relying on her right after her death feels wrong, but she doesn't take that excuse when it's given to her, and they try not to be too visibly relieved. 

"i wouldn't let you walk home blind," she says, her words in their voice. they startle. "you really can't hide things when we're sharing the body, koch, we're two peas in a pod up here."

"okay," they say. take it to heart.

#

"damn, koch, you live like this?"

koch stirs from their spot in the back of their head, tilts their head up to see what violet's talking about. she's got all the kitchen cabinets open, and - well, maybe they  _ had _ "forgotten" to go grocery shopping that week, the anxiety of being asked about violet's death suffocating. not like they didn't have things in the fridge to eat.

"things in the fridge being eggs. you need meat." violet rolls her eyes, and they huff. "i'll take the body grocery shopping, you go sleep. anxiety-free! perfect solution."

"don't get caught."

"have i ever?"

#

"the elections are coming up soon. the alternate universe decree." koch watches as violet pauses, her ghost half-phased through the wall and flaking into ash at the edges. "you're coming with, if i go?"

"what would you do without me?" she sets her hands on the wall and pushes herself out, going through the motions like she  _ has  _ to, and not like it's a mimicry. "strange new koch, or a strange new world? i know which one i'd want."

"the new koch?"

she laughs, tosses herself down to the couch beside them. "dumbass. you're irreplaceable!" 

"of course. so are you."

#

their team isn't  _ new- _ new, but an hour in a room with them and koch already wants to leave. the rest of them know it, they think, and it makes them feel worse, curling around their ribs in staticky fear. 

"koch?"

the voice comes from ahead of them, and it stops them in their tracks. "polkadot," they manage, and patterson looks back at them. 

"i'll see you on the field." it's zir way of welcoming them, they think. it's the most reassuring thing they've heard today.

"same to you." 

polkadot nods. koch nods back, and prepares to go home to violet.

#

their story wasn't meant to involve scorpler, but he's in it anyway.

mclaughlin scorpler is on the hades tigers when he loses the fireproof jacket, and he doesn't think very much of it, because he doesn't think very much about anything. he doesn't think very much of it when he's unstable, never look back and all, and he doesn't think very much of it when a rogue umpire turns to him with burning white eyes. he's incinerated, simple.

he doesn't think much of it when he's a ghost.

and at the time, jesús koch doesn't think much of it, either.

#

koch is handed the folded up jacket in the election hall, end of season seven, the fabric white and silky to the touch with a golden scorpion patterned on the back. they slip it on under their cloak and hurry back to the moist talkers - they never  _ liked _ being on stage, especially not in front of the league.

"you can't join me now," violet says, grinning, and koch tries not to look too obvious about swatting at her.

"wait, what," somebody says behind them, and then there's a hand on their shoulder, writhing and incorporeal. "this guy can  _ see  _ us?"

#

scorpler has to be the single most annoying person made of scorpions in this universe, koch decides, maybe ten minutes into meeting him. he sticks around anyway.

"mom said it's  _ my  _ turn doing our shopping," he complains, and violet moves her leg to hit him in the face, knocking a scorpion off. "c'moooon, i'm just a guy! just a little guy made of a lot of little guys! i gotta go shopping!"

" _ please _ be quiet."

"koch- hey, koch-"

"they said shut  _ up _ ," violet snaps, and koch tries very hard to ignore the ghost fistfight breaking out in their living room.

#

"getting incinerated," koch starts. it's just them and scorpler in the room, scorpler half in their mind and half wandering around the carpet. "it's blinding. was it like that for you?"

"don't know!" he shrugs. "maybe you need sunglasses or something. i'd give you mine, but they're all  _ ghosty,  _ you know? part of my charm."

"okay." 

scorpler stops. presses a hand to koch's and then vanishes entirely, relegating to a weight in their head.  _ it hurt _ , he tells them,  _ if that's what you wanted. but we're both better now. _

_ both? _

_ what? we talk, koch. we're chill! _

they laugh, quiet, in-sync.

#

the line on the hall of flame appears, and koch is afraid.

violet knows they won't  _ say  _ it, but she also knows them well-enough to recognize all the looks they sneak at scorpler, wide-eyed under their hat, anxious. bringing it up will only make it worse. she can't make any promises, and neither can scorpler.

"hey."

"hey?" scorpler loses some of that surefire cockiness when you catch him off guard. she smiles at it, before shaking it off. 

"don't get pulled away by some dumb blaseball shit, scorp. we'll miss your stupidity around here."

scorpler blinks, slow. snorts. "as  _ if _ ."

#

violet makes them go to the season 10 finals. scorpler stays in the back of koch's head and neither of them watch the hall of flame board. 

the crabs win, and the peanut appears, and the crabs lose.

the hall stars appear, and scorpler is still in the back of koch's head. violet is by their side, cheering on the ghosts on the field, not regretting that it isn't her for a moment.

after a moment, koch cheers too, quiet. scorpler makes them louder. nothing like team spirit to keep the hall stars going, hit after hit.

and they win.

#

the three of them go on a road trip, when siesta starts.

scorpler has places he wants to see, and so does violet, and koch admits after some prodding that they want to see the atlantic ocean outside of the glimpses they get from games. it is one person inside of a car taking three shifts and playing three people's taste in music, and it is three people inside of one person free to travel for the first time in eleven years.

"i'm really glad i'm haunted as shit," koch mumbles, and violet and scorpler snicker.

"so are we, dumbass!"

**Author's Note:**

> one of my "entirely written in the haze of 1 am ghost story love story emotion" fics. them (affectionate)  
> you can find me on tumblr @ catboydeicide or on twitter @ ghostcatboys !!


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